Tomatoes Are My Friends

With all the talk about cucumbers, corn, and melons, I've neglected to update you on the status of the tomatoes. None have died. In fact, they are all producing like crazy. Actually, the grape tomato plant has grown so tall that the newest flowers reach the bottom of our tall deck.

Below: The grape tomato and the new flowers... Up high in the sky.

The grape tomato has exploded in size, and the number of baby tomatoes growing on the plant is phenomenal. There are just so many ones growing, and I'm so excited about it. The only problem that I have with this plant is that the tomatoes all ripen at different cycles, so I only get a small harvest every few days. I would love to get a huge harvest (a store-sized carton), but alas, my plant does not want to cooperate. Nevertheless, I am still psyched about all the new tomatoes that are growing.

Below: Lots and lots of grape tomatoes.
Below: Keep in mind, this following photo is not sideways. The grape tomato plant has grown so large that this is one branch that has grown over half of the square foot garden box. It has extended so far that it is almost at the edge of the box!

It's strange because the cherry tomatoes have not been as successful as the grape. The cherry tomato plant does have baby tomatoes growing, but it is not growing at the same rate as the grape. I thought the cherry tomato would be just as bountiful, but alas, it is not. Oh well. I'm enjoying the ones that are growing on the plant.

Below: Cherry tomato plant

The cherry tomatoes that we have are a little bit larger than the grape tomatoes. They both taste just delicious when we eat them, so I'm satisfied either way. I love having delicious tomatoes in the summer. It won't be the same this winter when all my plants die and I'm stuck with going to the grocery store to buy bland-tasting tomatoes that could possibly be tainted by e.coli. LoL.

Below: The newest harvest of cherry and grape tomatoes
By the way, I did listen to everyone's advice and I stopped pruning the tomato plants. I've just cut off any of the diseased, yellow, or dead leaves. But other than that, I've just let the plant grow and flourish. They have all done beautifully since I've stopped my overzealous pruning efforts. LoL. Just letting you know! :-)

The larger tomato varieties are growing nicely, but we haven't had a harvest in several weeks. Still, they are growing and we have several tomato candidates that I'm looking forward to. Thankfully, birds have stayed away from the tomatoes lately. I think its because the foliage of the zucchini has prevented them from spotting any of my tomatoes. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case. If not, I will be pretty steamed.

Below: Big Boy Tomatoes...

Below: Rutledge Tomatoes


Below: I think this is the Whopper tomato. It is the largest of the big varieties. I'm most excited about this one!

And finally, I end with a wild kitten on the hunt.

Oh, by the way, I let her outside yesterday while I was tending the garden, and she climbed, not ONE, but TWO trees. I had to yell at her to get down before she climbed down. She is getting too wild... Only three months old, and I may need to invest in a pet GPS.